NCRPB should fund entire cost of studies for projects: Hooda

New Delhi, Aug 21 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today urged the National Capital Region Planning Board to fund the entire cost of studies awarded for finding workable solutions in the areas of mass transport, mass housing and other similar projects in the NCR region.

Speaking at the 30th meeting of NCR Planning Board here, he said that the present pattern of funding by way of loans through NCRPB was grossly inadequate.

''Government of Haryana has been consistently requesting to change the funding pattern so as to allow a sizeable component of grant'', he added.

He also urged the board to reduce the interest rates, increase in the moratorium and repayment period for all the projects financed by it. Presently, 17 projects from Haryana with a total cost of Rs 883.76 crore and a loan component of Rs 662.82 crore are pending with NCRPB.

The Board had sanctioned 96 infrastructural projects with total estimated cost of Rs. 8419.51 crore having a loan component of Rs 2551.51 crore till date. To meet the requirements of Regional Plan-2021, a manifold upgradation of infrastructure would be required which would entail huge expenditure. Hence, the government and its agencies in the NCR Sub Region would require higher quantum of financing by the government.

He suggested that the meeting of the Project Sanctioning and Monitoring Group may be held bi-monthly so as to put the projects on a fast track.

He said that the objectives of creation of NCR cannot be achieved unless "we lay adequate emphasis on rural areas of NCR and eventually make them as livable as the towns." Haryana Government was committed to provide facilities in villages at par with towns. For this purpose, he said, the Haryana Government had already constituted a Haryana Rural Development Authority. "Since the newly created Authority does not have adequate funds for executing projects in rural areas the NCRPB must come forward and finance these projects with a grant component", he added.

UNI